PDI-P and PPP coalesce in C. Java gubernatorial race
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang
Central Java councilors from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the United Development (PPP) factions have nominated provincial council head and PDI Perjuangan faction member Mardijo for the Central Java gubernatorial election this year.
The two factions nominated Hisyam Alie, the head of the PPP faction at the council, as Mardijo's running mate for deputy governor.
"We, from the United Development faction, formed a coalition with the PDI Perjuangan faction to nominate Mardijo and Hisyam Alie for the upcoming governorship race," Achmad Thoyfoer, the head of the East Java PPP chapter and deputy to council head, said on Monday.
The move could earn the pair at least 49 votes from among the 100 members at the East Java council. The PDI-P faction has 39 members on the council and the PPP faction 10.
Both nominees must each secure at least 51 percent of the council's vote in order to win the election.
"We will respect anybody who wants to join the gubernatorial race for East Java. It might be that there are many candidates who are better than Mardijo and Hisyam Alie, but in reality we must see whether the others have supporters or not," Achmad said.
He explained that PPP hoped its coalition with PDI Perjuangan would boost its chances of having one of its member win the election.
"By nominating Hisyam Alie as the deputy governor alongside Mardijo, this marks a political move by PPP to secure a post."
He added the nomination was an initiative from the council, and that thus far the PPP executive board had made no comment.
"So far, there hasn't been any intervention from the executive board regarding the nomination," he said.
Under the autonomy laws, Jakarta has delegated the appointment of governors and regents down to the provinces and regencies.
But governorships in the three provinces of Java have normally been reserved to candidates with military backgrounds, and were appointed by the party's executive boards.
The East Java PDI Perjuangan faction has yet to disclose whether it had obtained the executive board's support for nominating Mardijo.
Despite the autonomy laws, PDI Perjuangan Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, Indonesia's President, has often pressured party members to accept candidates she named.
Among those that were sidelined due to her interference were gubernatorial candidates in Lampung, West Java and Jakarta.